College Football: Rivals Survey of Top Recruits Shows Academics Truly Do Matter

Fans hinge on every word of their favorite recruits, hoping that their school is able to reel in the big fish come signing day. While every kid's decision is different, the folks at Rivals, during their Five Star Challenge, helped provide a little clarity into how these young men make their decisions.

Rivals surveyed the participants and found some things that may surprise the average fan. Among the most eye opening is that a lot of these guys really do value the academics of the schools that are pursuing them. 

The recruits were asked what the No. 1 factor is when considering a college, and of the near 80 participants they polled, academics stole the show with 30 votes. 

And as the survey notes, this choice was all made by the recruits.  

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Keep in mind this wasn't a multiple-choice survey. We asked the questions without offering any suggestions for them to choose. So nearly half our respondents brought up academics on their own. 

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That's a big deal and speaks to what the players are looking at when they make their final decision. While everyone is worried about their 40 times, bench press numbers and where they will commit; the guys have got books on their minds as well as the football.

Another pretty interesting revelation from the survey is what is the most overrated element people consider when they are looking at schools. "Winning tradition" takes the cake here, with uniforms coming in second.

While fans talk tradition and prestige and championships from days of yore, the prospects are less than wowed by titles from the past, even the recent past:

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"People might live in the past about a school like USC because they think about the [2004] season, or LSU and Florida from [2007] or [2008],'' he said. 

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The survey itself is a solid read and provides a great window into the mindset of these rising seniors. It sheds plenty of light on a process that so many fans have a lot of questions about.

Most fans don't go through the recruiting process, study the relationship building that makes a position coach paramount or tour the facilities to check out the setup. Kudos to Rivals for pulling back the curtain a bit.